5 Circuits Of Humour

[hooplala]

That's a non-sequiter. 

[Triple Zero]

That's a non-sequiter. 

what is?

that definition i just posted? no.

a non-sequitur is something that doesn't really make sense, but is so odd so it's funny, like:

Q: "how do you catch a unique rabbit?"
A: "unique up on it."
Q: "how do you catch a tame rabbit?"
A: "the tame way, unique up on it."

while i could point out the two frames of reference and the way they're brought together, if i really tried, it's more suitable for your run of the mill, standard joke like:

two idiots are waiting at the traffic light. one says to the other "it's green.", the other says "a frog!"

frames of reference that appear unrelated initially: 1) traffic lights, 2) frogs
way they're brought into connection: both are/can be green.
unexpected because: one starts a disucssion about the colour of the traffic light, the other interprets this as a sort of "i spy" game. these are in fact two other frames of reference that are brought into connection. the more you have of those, the higher quality a joke is usually perceived and people say things like "that's funny on so many levels!"

[hooplala]

"A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comical purposes (as opposed to its use in formal logic). It is a comment which, due to its lack of meaning relative to the comment it follows, is absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing."

So, I would agree with the frog one being a non sequiter, but not your first example.

At any rate, I still think what Cleese is describing is a non sequiter: putting two unrelated ideas together to make funny.

That doesn't make sense?

[Triple Zero]

well maybe. it all depends on definition anyway.

i myself am pretty big on absurd humor, it's what i grew up with, the belgian cartoonist Kamagurka,  mostly.

i personally think the first joke is a good example of absurdism, because it starts out with a weird premise (a "unique rabbit"), and then proceeds with a non standard word joke (it is uncommon to leave out a middle letter for a word joke), creating an atmosphere of absurdity, which is somewhat continued in the second question where the same sort of uncommon word joke is made, but pops up in an unexpected part of the sentence.

whereas the second joke, you agree that its style is much more common, right? maybe it's technically a non-sequitur, but when i hear the term, i always think of something that really "does not follow", really has no meaning relative to the comment it follows, not even afterwards, and is therefore absurd.
perhaps a better example:

- how many surrealists do you need to change a light?
- a fish.

and even here, it's not a complete non-sequitur, because the loop is still closed by the fact that "a fish" being a true non-sequitur (it doesn't even fit the question), on a different level it makes sense, because we were talking about surrealists.

that is the point in Cleese's definition, just having a non-sequitur alone, is not enough. that's just nonsense and is perhaps funny because it is dada or absurd. to make it truly humorous, you need to sort of "close the loop", resolve the non-sequitur.

it is this resolving that triggers the laughter, what appeared to be a non-sequitur (unrelated to the previous comment/frame of reference) actually turns out not to be (as soon as the relation is created), and triggers laughter because this relation is drawn in an unexpected way.

[hooplala]

Hmmm.  You make a good point.

And I think you're right about the Frog not being totally a non sequiter.  My favourite type of humour is the non sequiter, although it can be overused easily (case in point: Family Guy with the Manatee jokes), but maybe what I've been non sequiter isn't completely correct.

[Triple Zero]

ah it's just words, as long as we understand eachother

also, i really enjoy taking apart jokes into tiny parts until they completely stop moving

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I would like to have a version of this in LOLLERCAUST. Would you mind Hoopla?

[hooplala]

Not at all.

[hooplala]

ah it's just words, as long as we understand eachother

also, i really enjoy taking apart jokes into tiny parts until they completely stop moving

ME TOO.

[AFK]

I like the dry, awful, cornball humors.  Yeah, shocker I know.  Don't know why, it's just always appealed to me. 

Also the play on words kind of humor. 

The "Who's on First" routine I think is one of the best comedic routines ever concocted.